This delightfully fun book shows how one horrible day can result in the best changes of your life.

Single mom, Jenny James, is losing her job, her car breaks down and her house literally falls off a cliff. This results in Jenny & her teenage son, Charlie, losing everything. A kind neighbor, Luke, and his dachshund, Betty, are camping in their fancy RV nearby and offer to help Jenny & Charlie by inviting them to travel across England on a week long adventure.

This was not just a fluffy romance novel. This book introduced you to characters that had been through tragedy and the author touched on some deep issues, but there were also explorations that the characters experienced that were pure fun. Just returning from England recently,
I loved hearing the different places that Luke, Jenny, Charlie & Betty traveled on their beautiful England escapade.

I very much enjoyed listening to this Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley and Harper Muse Audiobooks. Beth Eyre narrated and did a fabulous job. I will be looking for other books by Debbie Johnson and will definitely recommend this book to my friends. #NetGalley #JennyJamesIsNotADisaster

This was a really cute book. Completely relatable main character. Narrator was great! You can see where the book is going, but that’s what makes it cozy. Just a lovely story all around!
Tw: child loss

This was absolutely charming! I loved the relationship between Jenny and her son Charlie. I’m a sucker for a great road trip story and I didn’t want this to end. It had no sex, nor was it full of the characters constantly musing on the hotness of characters. It was a delightful story of people finding their way and finding love along the way. It was a story about finding joy and beauty after disaster. The narrator was perfection!

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy to review!

Jenny James is Not a Disaster, by Debbie Johnson, is a quirky, character-driven story about Jenny James who experiences a cataclysmic event, or two, and decides that it’s the perfect time to make drastic changes to her life. Jenny lives alone with her 18 year old son and is estranged from her family. She’s lost her job and needs to not only figure things out, but also reinvent her life and change her perspective.

When her nomadic neighbor offers to take Jenny and her son on a road trip throughout England, along with his dachshund, Betty, Jenny agrees. The small group experiences all kinds of adventures that lead to reflections, discussions, and eventually life-changing revelations.

Jenny James is a feel-good work of women’s fiction full of insights, thoughtful themes and surprising depth, given the light-hearted nature of the story. There are moments that work out a bit too conveniently to be realistic, but all-in-all, it’s an enjoyable, heartwarming, thought-provoking tale. This story is narrated by Beth Eyre by Harper Muse Audiobooks and brings life and flavor to the story.

A super cute, UK Chic-lit story. Road Trip vibes, found family/friendships. Oh and an adorable lil weiner dog named Betty.

I was lucky enough to receive this book early via NetGalley. I listened to the audio version and the production did an excellent job. This was a great story about finding yourself and the power of yes. The storyline served as a great reminder to take any of life’s harder times and grow from them. A cute little adventurous summer read that’s easy to follow

Not what I was expecting to be honest. I thought it would be more of a light hearted summer read. It was an easy read but brought elements of real life too. Sometimes things don’t end up the way we hope. Broken relationships, hardships and learning to trust again. You won’t be disappointed. Pick this one up!

Jenny James is not a Disaster by Debbie Johnson
This was a very easy and enjoyable read. Jenny the main character has had a series of life altering events happen to her all at once, her house literally falls off a cliff, her car dies and she loses her job. She along with her 18 year old son embark on a journey with their neighbor Luke exploring the country and coming to terms with their past.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this Audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Think you’ve had a bad day? Jenny has you beat. The single mom heads home after finding out her job is downsizing, only for her car to break down in an awful rainstorm. She and her teenage son finally arrive home only to find it’s not there. In fact, their little cottage has slid off a cliff. Yikes! With an uncertain future and nowhere to live, their RV-wielding neighbor offers a proposition…Jenny and her son Charlie can join Luke and his spunky dachshund Betty on the road for a nomadic adventure…from zombies to Jane Austen and a visit to her past, this is an adventure for the books.
As awful as the bad luck circumstances were, I couldn’t stop laughing for much of this book (though there are tough topics brought up as well). Highly recommend this as a fun afternoon read. And the narrator brought so much fun to Jenny’s character as she navigated each wacky predicament.
Thank you to Harper Muse Audiobooks for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Book Title: Jenny James is not a Disaster
Author: Debbie Johnson
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Beth Eyre
Publisher: Harper Collin Focus. Harper Muse
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Pub Date: July 9, 2024
My Rating: 3.4.Stars
Pages 320


Jenny James is on the edge of disaster.
• Her job is downsizing,
• Her car won't start,
• Her eighteen year old son Charlie is acting like well yes! A teenager.
• And will it ever stop raining.
• Plus now she truly is on the edge of disaster as her cottage on the Norfolk coast literally falls off a cliff.

Jenny decides she and son Charlie will join Luke their neighbor and Betty his dachshund on a road trip around England. They travel in his van and visit and hike historical sites, ride rollercoasters. Jenny is reminded of the dreams she gave up long ago. Jenny left home when she was seventeen and was expecting – her parents never knew about their grandson Charlie nor that her high school boyfriend Rob is Charlie’s father. Jenny parents always thought Rob wasn’t the right guy for Jenny and they were correct as Rob left Jenny when Charlie was only two years old.
Although my thought were-Yikes! What’s next? Additionally it was slow at times (not sure if this is a spoiler) but it does end as a ‘feel-good’ story.

Want to thank HarperCollins Focus/Harper Muse for this early audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 9, 2024.

Audio format 🎧. Jenny James is having a really tough week. She finds out she’s losing her job, her car dies and her house falls off the edge of a cliff. You would think Jenny would go over the edge herself but instead she embarks on a journey in a RV with a kind stranger. They explore and find new and exciting adventures along the way and eventually make amends with the past. Lots of great themes thought the book.

This was a charming story. Many times in the book some of the statements Jenny really resonated with me and i couldn’t wait to finish the book.

The audio narration was excellent and over all really enjoyed this gem of a book. 4.5/5.

Thank you to HarperCollins Focus | Harper Muse and Net Galley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

From page 1, I loved the MC. I loved the way she said things, her personality, etc. Then came the hook and I was, well, hooked! I couldn’t wait to see how the story was going to go…

Then it turned left into a “happy ending” hallmark movie.

For most readers this story will be cute, heartfelt, and leave the reader smiling and warm from all the happy endings.

At times I felt that way too, but I also was disappointed this is yet another story where a woman is rescued by a rich man. Just once I’d like the woman to rescue herself, I supposed.

“Jenny James is Not a Disaster” by Debbie Johnson narrated by Beth Eyre
The Road to Finding Joy
I loved this story. Yes there were smiles maybe even chuckles, and of course a few teary times, too. I empathized with Jenny James, the trials and tribulations she encountered. And, really wished I could have an RV road trip, too. There were many moments of sage advice shared in this story. A Worthy Read that could be a good Book Club choice. I listened to the audiobook version and I am sure the print, whether paper or digital, version will be good reads, also. Happy Reading or Listening ! !

Jenny had the worst day ever- she lost her job, her car died, and her house fell off a cliff. As she is trying to save mementos- in the middle of a storm while her house is crumbling off the cliff- a stranger, Luke, pulls her back. Luke lives in an RV and never stays anywhere more than two weeks. Over the next week, Jenny finds herself confiding in Luke. Her son Charlie, is off to college in the fall. Maybe now is the time to start over somewhere else. Luke invites Jenny and Charlie to come with him for a bit, and they set off on a road trip. Their destinations chosen by drawing a slip of paper out of a hat.

I enjoyed this one so much. It is a story of self discovery and healing, but in a new and refreshing way. It is also "mature"- in the sense that Jenny is in her mid/late thirties, and Luke in his forties. They've lived life and their problems are relatable.

Beth Eyre narrates the audiobook.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

•

𝗝𝗲𝗻𝗻𝘆 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝗯𝗯𝗶𝗲 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗻

Having lost a job she didn’t care for and a rental home (that literally falls off a cliff into the ocean during torrential rains), Jenny James is faced with figuring out the next steps for herself and her 18 year old son Charlie.

Here’s the first thing I loved: Where she could have given up and given in - to depression, defeat - instead she embraces this monumental shift in her life, treats it as an opportunity not so much for reinvention but movement toward a happier existence.

The title isn’t a sarcastic quip or misleading moniker, it’s truth: Jenny James is, in fact, not a disaster.

And so, when Luke, a quiet, kind man, who lives in an RV behind where her house had been, offers for Jenny and Charlie to join him on the road for a week or two, they accept.

Jenny, overly grateful to Luke, concerned they might be cramping his style, soon realizes that he’s also in the middle of his own mess, a sadness surrounding him.

And so, the three, along with Betty the dachshund, become companions on the road as well as in a journey to figure themselves out. Using a hat filled with suggested locations to visit, they explore theme parks and Bond film locations, and go “wild” swimming.

Jenny, estranged from her family for two decades, eventually returns at Charlie’s request. He wants more than just him mom and absent father, has always felt he was missing out. And so they travel to Cornwall for a reunion.

Once there, decisions must be made: by Charlie, by Luke, by Jenny. None of them easy, all of them worthwhile.

I adored the dynamic of this single mom raising her son. The relationship feels authentic - with some distance, some private jokes, some misplaced teenage angst, and on a deeper level, real love.

It’s contemporary fiction with romance as a side note; more about understanding your boundaries and deciding how much bigger you are willing to make them.

And Beth Eyre’s gentle British accent makes this audiobook stand out even more.

All the stars for complicated women’s drama, and for Jenny James, unlikely hero.

Thanks to @netgalley and @harpermusebooks for the audio ARC. This one comes out July 9, 2024.

Jenny James is Not a Disaster was such a charming, heartwarming read!

Jenny’s life hasn’t been easy, but she’s always made the best of it for her son, Charlie. Life gets even harder when a rapid series of disastrous events occur, and she’s suddenly homeless and at risk of being jobless. Lucky for her, she has a knight in shining armor living next door! Luke is her reclusive neighbor who resides in a cozy motor home with his precious pup, Betty. Luke extends the offer of a cross-country trip to Jenny, and with few options available, Jenny takes him up on that. What follows is a journey of self-discovery, adventure, and relationships of every kind.

I adored this book! I loved the relationship between Jenny and Charlie, and it was delightful watching the three grow closer as they explored fun locations together. I also really liked that this book dived into some harder topics. Difficult relationships were explored in different ways, and single parenthood and loss were both handled with care and honesty. The romance was sweet and simple, but I thought it fit the tone of the book as a whole.

I highly recommend this one!

This was another great audiobook. Listen for me. I really enjoyed it. From the very beginning to the very end. Pick this one up on publication day.

I absolutely adored this audiobook!

The story was sweet and the narrator was perfect. She really told the story in a way that I could visualize it in my mind.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this audiobook.

Sometimes you have to almost lose it all to learn what is most valuable. After losing her home and job and with her son on his way to adulthood, Jenny is at a loss as to what’s next. Meeting up with their quiet neighbor Luke and his dog Betty. they set off on an adventure . Picking stopping places out of a hat. This becomes one wild ride for all three. Learning from and about each other. It’s hard not to do in such cramped quarters. This was a fun listen. The narrator did an excellent job. Thank you to NetGalley for this free advanced copy. I’m leaving this review voluntarily